Johnny Carson, the "Tonight Show" TV host who served America a smooth nightcapof celebrity banter, droll comedy and heartland charm for 30 years, has died.He was 79.

"Mr. Carson passed away peacefully early Sunday morning," his nephew, JeffSotzing, told The Associated Press. "He was surrounded by his family, whoseloss will be immeasurable. There will be no memorial service."

Sotzing would not give further details, including the time of death or thelocation.

The boyish-looking Nebraska native with the disarming grin, who survived everyattempt to topple him from his late-night talk show throne, was a star whomanaged never to distance himself from his audience.

His wealth, the adoration of his guests -- particularly the many young comicswhose careers he launched -- the wry tales of multiple divorces: Carson's airof modesty made it all serve to enhance his bedtime intimacy with viewers.

"Heeeeere's Johnny!" was the booming announcement from sidekick Ed McMahon thatushered Carson out to the stage. Then the formula: the topical monologue, theguests, the broadly played skits such as "Carnac the Magnificent."

But America never tired of him; Carson went out on top when he retired in May1992. In his final show, he told his audience: "And so it has come to this. Iam one of the lucky people in the world. I found something that I always wantedto do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it."

His personal life could not match the perfection of his career. Carson wasmarried four times, divorced three. In 1991, one of his three sons, 39-year-oldRicky, was killed in a car accident.

Nearly all of Carson's professional life was spent in television, from hispostwar start at Nebraska stations in the late 1940s to his three decades withNBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

Carson choose to let "Tonight" stand as his career zenith and his finale,withdrawing into a quiet retirement that suited his private nature and refusinginvolvement in other show business projects.

In 1993, he explained his absence from the limelight.

"I have an ego like anybody else," Carson told The Washington Post, "but Idon't need to be stoked by going before the public all the time."

He was open to finding the right follow-up to "Tonight," he told friends. Buthis longtime producer, Fred de Cordova, said Carson didn't feel pressured -- hecould look back on his TV success and say "I did it."

"And that makes sense. He is one of a kind, was one of a kind," de Cordova saidin 1995. "I don't think there's any reason for him to try something different."

Carson spent his retirement years sailing, traveling and socializing with a fewclose friends including media mogul Barry Diller and NBC executive Bob Wright.He simply refused to be wooed back on stage.

"The reason I really don't go back or do interviews is because I just let thework speak for itself," he told Esquire magazine in 2002 in a rare interview.

The former talk show host did find an outlet for his creativity: He wrote shorthumor pieces for The New Yorker magazine, including "Recently DiscoveredChildhood Letters to Santa," which purported to give the youthful wish lists ofWilliam Buckley, Don Rickles and others.

Carson made his debut as "Tonight" host in October 1962. Audiences quickly grewfond of his boyish grin and easy wit. He even made headlines with such cleverploys as the 1969 on-show marriage of eccentric singer Tiny Tim to Miss Vicki,which won the show its biggest-ever ratings.

The wedding and other noteworthy moments from the show were collected into ayearly "Tonight" anniversary special.

In 1972, "Tonight" moved from New York to Burbank. Growing respect for Carson'sconsistency and staying power, along with four consecutive Emmy Awards, camehis way in the late 1970s.

His quickness and his ability to handle an audience were impressive. When hisjokes missed their target, the smooth Carson won over a groaning studioaudience with a clever look or sly, self-deprecating remark.

Politics provided monologue fodder for him as he skewered lawmakers of everystripe, mirroring the mood of voters. His Watergate jabs at President Nixonwere seen as cementing Nixon's fall from office in 1974.

He made presidential history again in July 1988 when he had then-Arkansas Gov.Bill Clinton on his show a few days after Clinton came under widespreadridicule for a boring speech at the Democratic National Convention. Clintontraded quips with Carson and played "Summertime" on the saxophone. Four yearslater, Clinton won the presidency.

Carson dispatched would-be late-night competitors with aplomb. Competingnetworks tried a variety of formats and hosts but never managed to best"Tonight" and Carson.

There was the occasional battle with NBC: In 1967, for instance, Carson walkedout for several weeks until the network managed to lure him back with acontract that reportedly gave him $1 million-plus yearly.

In 1980, after more walkout threats, the show was scaled back from 90 minutesto an hour. Carson also eased his schedule by cutting back on his work days; anumber of substitute hosts filled in, including Joan Rivers, David Brenner,Jerry Lewis and Jay Leno, Carson's eventual successor.

Rivers was one of the countless comedians whose careers took off after theywere on Carson's show. After she rocked the audience with her jokes in that1965 appearance, he remarked, "God, you're funny. You're going to be a star."

"If Johnny hadn't made the choice to put me on his show, I might still be inGreenwich Village as the oldest living undiscovered female comic," she recalledin an Associated Press interview 20 years later. She tried her own talk show in1986, quickly becoming one of the many challengers who could not budge Carson.

In the '80s, Carson was reportedly the highest-paid performer in televisionhistory with a $5 million "Tonight" show salary alone.

His Carson Productions created and sold pilots to NBC, including "TV's Bloopersand Practical Jokes." Carson himself made occasional cameo appearances on otherTV series.

He also performed in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, New Jersey, and was host ofthe Academy Awards five times in the '70s and '80s.

Carson's graceful exit from "Tonight" did not avoid a messy, bitter tug-of-warbetween Leno and fellow comedian David Letterman. Leno took over as "Tonight"host on May 25, 1992, becoming the fourth man to hold the job after foundinghost Steve Allen, Paar and Carson.

Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, and raised in nearby Norfolk, Neb. He startedhis show business career at age 14 as the magician "The Great Carsoni."

After World War II service in the Navy, he took a series of jobs in local radioand TV in Nebraska before starting at KNXT-TV in Los Angeles in 1950.

There he started a sketch comedy show, "Carson's Cellar," which ran from1951-53 and attracted attention from Hollywood. A staff writing job for "TheRed Skelton Show" followed.

The program provided Carson with a lucky break: When Skelton was injuredbackstage, Carson took the comedian's place in front of the cameras.

Producers tried to find the right program for the up-and-coming comic, tryinghim out as host of the quiz show "Earn Your Vacation" (1954) and in the varietyshow "The Johnny Carson Show" (1955-56).

From 1957-62 he was host of the daytime game show "Who Do You Trust?" and, in1958, was joined for the first time by McMahon, his durable "Tonight" buddy.

A few acting roles came Carson's way, including one on "Playhouse 90" in 1957,and he did a pilot in 1960 for a prime-time series, "Johnny Come Lately," thatnever made it onto a network schedule.

In 1958, Carson sat in for "Tonight Show" host Jack Paar. When Paar left theshow four years later, Carson was NBC's choice as his replacement.

After his retirement, Carson took on the role of Malibu-based retiree withapparent ease. An avid tennis fan, he was still playing a vigorous game in his70s.

He and his wife, Alexis, traveled frequently. The pair met on the Malibu beachin the early 1980s; he was 61 when they married in June 1987, she was in her30s.

Carson's first wife was his childhood sweetheart, Jody, the mother of his threesons. They married in 1949 and split in 1963.

He married Joanne Copeland Carson in 1963; divorce came in 1972. His thirdmarriage, to Joanna Holland Carson, took place in 1972. They separated in 1982and reached a divorce settlement in 1985.

On the occasion of Carson's 70th birthday in 1995, former "Tonight" bandleaderDoc Severinsen, who toured with musicians from the show, said he was constantlyreminded of Carson's enduring popularity.

"Every place we go people ask `How is he? Where is he? What is he doing? Tellhim how much we miss him.' It doesn't surprise me," Severinsen said.

The brisk sale of the video collection "Johnny Carson: His Favorite MomentsFrom The Tonight Show," released in 1994, offered further proof of his appeal.

He won a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in1992, with the first President Bush saying, "With decency and style he's madeAmerica laugh and think." In 1993, he was celebrated by the prestigious KennedyCenter Honors for career achievement.

There's nothing peaceful about not being able to breathe. My fatherpassed away from emphasema and lung cancer and his last breaths wereanything but peaceful. Only after my sister arrived and he knewsomeone was there to be with my mom, did he take that final breath andlet himself go. Rest in peace, Johnny, you're suffering is over.pepsi